Asian stocks slump after Fed signals faster rate hikes

SEOUL, South Korea — Asian stocks slumped Thursday after the U.S. Federal Reserve raised its key interest rate and said it would pick up the pace of future increases. South Korea's market benchmark tumbled 1.6 percent on the first trading day after a meeting of U.S. and North Korean leaders.

FED: The Fed's rate hike was its second this year. The American central bank raised its outlook for increases this year from three to four. Chairman Jerome Powell said the U.S. economy is in great shape but investors worry faster rate hikes could stifle growth.

ANALYST'S TAKE: Expectations for further Fed tightening and U.S.-Chinese trade tensions "provide Asian markets with poor intraday leads," said Jingyi Pan of IG in a report.

KOREA TALKS: South Korean investors sold after President Donald Trump's meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Trump boasted the meeting ended any nuclear threat from North Korea and South Korean President Moon Jae-in tried to put a positive spin on the outcome, but the meeting produced no details on how or when North Korea's nuclear weapons might be eliminated or even reduced.

CURRENCIES: The dollar slipped to 110.23 yen from 110.33 yen. The euro rose to $1.1802 from $1.1793.

OIL: Benchmark U.S. crude fell 2 cents to $66.62 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose 0.4 percent to $66.64 a barrel in New York on Wednesday. Brent crude, used to price international oils, lost 23 cents to $76.51 per barrel in London. It gained 1.1 percent to $76.74 per barrel on Wednesday.

A cheaper version of Johnson & Johnson's top-selling drug, the rheumatoid arthritis treatment Remicade, could be available in the U.S. two years early after a federal judge ruled a key patent on the drug invalid

Search

Subscribe to our newsletter.

Name

Email

Obserworld delivers the most accurate and up-to-date world news for the global audience with a thorough research and in-depth interviews. Discover the world through Obserworld.